Riders on the storm: How road crews cleared worst blizzard in 10 years

I’ve been [with the Highway Department] for more than 17 years, and this was one of the most challenging storms we’ve ever had.”

—Carmel Highway Superintendent Mike Stern

The most severe winter storm since January 2016 (when more than 27 inches of snow fell on the New York metropolitan area) hit Carmel on Sunday night and Monday, prompting county officials to declare a state of emergency.

Not only did this week’s blizzard drop 18 to 20 inches of snow on the area—it came close on the heels of a Jan. 25 storm that brought about 8 inches.

The heavy snowfall meant it was all hands on deck for the Carmel Highway Department and the Putnam County Department of Public Works, both of which began preparing for the weather event days before it arrived.

“We make sure the trucks are ready,” said Carmel Highway Superintendent Mike Stern. “We check everything — all the fluids — and we preload them with sand and salt before the storm gets here. We make sure all the plows are on and ready.”

Stern said the department employed 35 trucks to fight the storm, including 24 six-wheelers, one 10-wheeler and five lowboys (pickup trucks). He said the crew is responsible for clearing 180 miles of road, which totals 360 miles when you consider that they must plow each side of the street.

“These guys are on call from November through April. They know that when they take these jobs,” Stern said. “The men and women of this department did a fantastic job; they always do. They are the backbone of this town.”

Stern had praise for the county highway department and the departments of the other county municipalities.

“They do a great job, and we have to coordinate with them, and they make that easier to do,” he said.

To keep the streets clear, Carmel and county crews faced treacherous conditions and a relentless schedule that began before the first flake fell and continued long after the snow stopped.

“Our DPW crews have been working around the clock since before the storm began, pre-treating roads, plowing overnight and continuing snow removal through today and into tomorrow,” said County Executive Kevin Byrne. “Strong wind gusts have caused significant drifting and pushed snow back onto the roadways, so our team has stayed on it to safely restore travel conditions as quickly and as reasonably as possible.”

‘Like a merry-go-round’

Stern called this one of the worst snowstorms he has seen since he’s been on the job.

“I’ve been [with the Highway Department] for more than 17 years, and this was one of the most challenging storms we’ve ever had,” he said. “The wind played a big role because there was so much drifting. Visibility was bad. We could only see about 10 feet. We had to go out eight or nine times in the last 24 hours. It was like a merry-go-round.”

Stern said residents adhered to the state-of-emergency protocols and stayed off the roads, which made it easier for the highway crews to do their jobs.

Stern said that despite the wind and heavy snowfall, the area was somewhat lucky: There were no reported power outages.

“We only had a report of one wire coming down,” he said. “That’s kind of unheard of.”

Byrne said the storm was especially challenging on the back of the last one but echoed Stern’s relief that power outages were few.

“We’re fortunate we didn’t suffer the power outages like years past,” Byrne said. “That was a concern we were closely monitoring. NYSEG brought in extra crews as a precaution, and I had conversations with State Homeland Security Emergency Services, who shared they were also in close communication with the Department of Public Service to ensure resources were properly placed.”

When Stern spoke to Mahopac News on Monday evening, he said his crew was about to wrap things up.

“We are doing our final cleanup, and then we go out again tonight because when people clean their walks and driveways, they dump the snow out onto the road,” he said. “We have to make sure the roads are safe, and that causes a lot of extra hours and costs money.”

“We will head back out again tomorrow morning to make sure the road is safe for the school buses,” he added.

And while the worst appeared to be over by Monday evening, officials weren’t about to take their eyes off the forecast.

“We’re mindful of upcoming forecasts for more snow later this week and next week,” Byrne said. “And fingers crossed always hoping it redirects elsewhere — ideally out to sea!”